The Volterra Fail
by yep still me but gone
Summary: Bella and Alice's mission in Volterra fails. They're kept captive together with Edward. A hooded stranger comes to their rescue but saving them proves to be impossible. My entry for FAGE10. Based on New Moon, Canon divergent
1. Chapter 1

**FAGE 10: Reborn**

 **Title** : The Volterra Fail

 **Written for** : Star Spiers/TheDarkestFallingStar

 **Written by** : Dorchester

 **Rating** : T

 **Summary/Prompt used** :

"Who are you?"

"Demon to some, angel to others."

 **Betaed by** : Loopylou992 (Huge thanks, love. You saved me.)

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group: Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps, or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.

www . fanfiction community / FAGE-Reborn / 113100 / (remove spaces)

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The ballroom of Palazzo dei Priori is full of red eyes. The assembled members of the Volturi guard are in position.

There's talking, and more talking. Aro is a sneaky blowhard who thinks himself God. Markus is disinterested. Caius is a sleazy bastard.

When Jane hurts Edward, something within Bella's insides flips. She's beyond mad at them, at them all. So much so, that when Demetri restrains Alice, and while Edward fruitlessly fights Felix, she thinks this whole thing has been nothing but extremely, tremendously stupid.

Edward is practically useless, Bella finds out.

The pity which overtakes her is all consuming. She tries to trade her life for Edward's but to no avail. She tries to understand, to digest why all this happened - the three of them here - he didn't expose himself, did he? At the end she concludes it's not her fault. Generally speaking.

Why her beloved vampires are rendered helpless, is beyond her. And it doesn't matter anymore, because now they're held captive by the most powerful vampire family in the world.

"Escort them to the Cyclopean fortress, old fort," Aro instructs in a flat voice. "Give them the largest cell in the dungeon. Don't forget to shackle them; ankles and wrists."

When Felix leads the way, a wicked smile is plastered on his lips.

~"~

The largest cell in the dungeon is not really large, in fact. No more than ten feet deep and eight feet wide, with a low ceiling. There are no beds and no window. A single blazing torch leaks grease on the stone floor.

Felix leaves and shuts the heavy door, and they hear his and another man's mumbling combined with the clank of a heavy padlock.

They're on their own.

The first thing Edward does is to try and break her shackles. He squeezes and pulls at the restraint, but to no avail. His face contorts into a sour expression.

Obviously, those are extremely strong shackles, Bella thinks, considering a vampire can't destroy them. She shivers.

Defeated, Edward clings to her. He holds her in a clumsy, icy embrace, his chains resting on her weak shoulders; she shivers even more.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he half-whispers into her ear.

The embrace does nothing to stop the shaking of her body.

"Edward, don't."

He seems confused but lets his arms fall down from her shoulders and with a last, faint gesture of a tiny touch to her forearm, he gives up on any attempt to soothe her.

"You're cross with me," he states and oh, isn't he right.

Bella is furious.

"Why didn't we run, Edward? Why did we let them take us, huh? The Porsche was just a few blocks away!"

"It's not how it works, Bella. Don't be mad, please. I'm … Don't be mad. We'll figure it out."

"You're what, Edward? Sorry? Again?" Bella's voice is reaching new heights, she notes absentmindedly. She's never shouted like this in her whole life.

"No." Edward takes a hesitant breath. "I'm just so happy you're alive."

"Don't be." Bella interjects. "It's probably only for a while more. They'll kill us."

"No!" This is Alice, who has remained a silent witness to the exchange until now. "I don't see them killing us."

"No?" Bella sniggers bitterly. "Did you see them catching us and stuffing us in this stinky shithole?"

Alice has no answer to that, so she digs the sole of her right ballerina pump in a slit of the stone floor.

"Thought so," Bella concludes and turns abruptly to the door.

She observes the opaque wooden surface, then starts banging with her tiny fists, making a respectable noise.

"I need a bed and a bucket to pee in!" She shouts. "I need to pee right now!"

She goes on with the banging until it hurts. Only a couple minutes later, an anonymous, short and stocky guard unlocks the cell and Felix steps in with a metal bucket and a camp bed in his hands.

"There." Felix looks unhappy. He places the bucket in front of his feet and passes the folded bed on. "And shut up." He turns and leaves them to themselves once again.

"Not a chatty fellow, that one," Bella notes. "Now please. Turn around and stick your fingers in your ears, both of you. I need to pee."

~"~

She understands she's turned into someone different now. This is not her. The real Bella is unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward, right? The real Bella thinks Alice is amazing. Her current version resents both of them, and this is really, really frustrating.

The horrible stench of her two-day old pee and shit stings her eyes. Good thing there's at least food for her, three times a day, but the excrements are not something to look forward to.

Bad thing, Alice and Edward haven't fed for quite a long time. Their eyes are very dark and this is not good at all. They avoid looking directly at her and she understands. It's somewhat disconcerting to know that she's locked in the same room with hungry vampires who think she smells delicious - vegetarians or not. No one talks about it. All in all, the talking is brought to a minimum, considering that Edward can read Alice's mind and he's never been fond of long sentences.

Her food comes regularly, twice at short intervals and the next one after much longer. By the intervals, she can tell day and night.

On day three, after the noon meal, Felix comes again accompanied by the stocky guard. He checks their shackles without uttering a single word, then nods to the guard and retreats to the corner of the cell. The guard lets in a peacock-looking Aro and two female vampires who step in regally, dressed in black and grey capes, eyes red and shiny.

"Hello, my lovely friends," Aro speaks. "Isn't it great that we can see each other again."

His voice is gentle, telling just the opposite of what the thin line of his pursed lips and the eager clenching and unclenching of his fists say. Edward looks at him, squinting, and cocks his head.

"I want you to meet Chelsea and Corin, my invaluable assistants." Aro takes a step back and gestures toward the two women in turns while he announces their names. "Corin, my darling. Take a good look at the three of them. Do your thing."

The woman named Corin approaches Edward and sniffs the air. Her eyebrows move up and down, up and down. Edward stands still, looking her straight in the eye.

Next thing Bella sees is a smiling Edward - a genuinely smiling Edward - who nods at Corin and then elegantly bows to Aro.

"Aro, I'm happy to see you," says Edward and he sounds so sincere it hits Bella in the chest. She gapes and, unintentionally, mimics a dying fish; but says nothing - this is all too much for her.

Corin appears to be delighted with her work. It's clear that she's done something, wordlessly; a mental trick to influence Edward's attitude toward the Volturi leader.

Alice comes next. After just a few moments of Corin looking at her, Alice is smiling too, a glimmer in her eyes. Then she curtseys. "Aro," a thrilling word falls off her mouth.

Bella is the last in line, and Corin stands in front of her for much longer compared to the others. Seconds and seconds pass and Corin frowns. She turns her head to face Aro and shrugs.

The line of Aro's lips becomes even thinner. "We're done here," he says. On their way out of the cell he stops in his tracks and ceremoniously turns around.

"Young Bella," he says gravely, "again, you astonish me," but there's no trace of astonishment in his voice.

When the door is locked behind their visitors' backs, Bella falls to her knees, exhausted and dizzy for no reason.

~"~

For the remainder of the day, Alice and Edward chatter happily. To Bella's utter disbelief, they both elaborate on memories of the past and dreams of the future, utterly ignoring their current state of imprisonment.

Edward attempts a conversation with her. She rejects with a rude "no, I don't want to talk," and regrets it immediately. He's her love, for God's sake. Why is she behaving so uncharacteristically? But then, why is _he_ behaving so uncharacteristically, as a matter of fact? Has he forgotten that they're locked in here together; that he's thirsty?

Edward and Alice's eyes are darker than ever. Blacker than black. When Bella falls asleep that night, she dreams of blood and torn limbs. Piles of torn limbs.

The next day begins with another visit by Aro and the two female vampires. This time, it's Chelsea's turn to do, in Aro's words, _her thing_.

Chelsea begins with Bella, probably instructed beforehand to try first where Corin failed.

Bella feels nothing, absolutely nothing although Chelsea's look scrutinises her and makes her shift from foot to foot.

"Nothing," Aro says. "Hmmm. Excellent."

Chelsea lifts an eyebrow in question; Aro nods toward Edward.

A few minutes later, Alice and Edward resemble hound dogs licking the palm of their master. It's something in their posture, inclined toward Aro's body, following his every intake of breath as if waiting for a command. It's no wonder that when he says, "Let's go for a hunt," they look exactly like they want to wagger their virtual tails.

Bella is left alone in the cell.

The feeling that creeps into her soul starts eating, eating at her last traces of hope. She wonders if Edward and Alice will ever want to leave this place. They seem to be so happy here.

When they return with blood-red eyes, she doesn't wonder any more. Somehow, the two of them _are_ happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing seems to be like it's been before. Bella can't believe it, but then, she can.

Finding Edward on the other side of that fountain was, what, only four days ago? And now, Edward doesn't even try to come near her. What's more, he doesn't try to look guilty that he's drank human blood. A hundred years of drinking only from animals, and, bang, he kills a human being, maybe more than one human being, and feeds from them. Bella's body vibrates with disgust.

And Alice. Lovely, beautiful, dear Alice. Did she feed from the same victim, or did she kill her own prey? Was it a woman, or a man, or maybe a child? A child should suffice for Alice, she's so tiny ...

They're locked again in the prison cell, two vampires with blood red eyes, and Bella, a fragile human. To think that she wanted to save Edward from killing himself.

She should have let him do it! None of this would have happened.

Right after the thought crosses her mind, she mentally slaps herself.

Edward has been nothing but good to her. Protecting. So beautiful. Even now, with his crimson eyes, he's beautiful. But then, why doesn't she feel sad that he's betrayed what the Cullens believe in?

Deep down her soul she knows that he and Alice have been influenced by some mental instrument. She can't find it in herself to blame them. She just doesn't _love_ them any more. No, nothing seems to be like it's been before.

She sleeps in her screeching bed and dreams of piles of murdered children with opened throats, Edward and Alice squatting near a half-dead Barbie-like girl in a pink dress. The rest of the Cullens stand at a distance and shake their heads, then walk away.

~"~

In the morning of day five, a new guard enters the cell with her food. There's milk, bread and honey. Bella feels like talking and she says "Thank you." No answer comes, so she tries to meet the guard's eyes, but he's wearing one of those cloaks and the hood on his head falls too low over his forehead. A single blond curl has escaped and it shows at shoulder length. A shaved chin flashes for a second a she glimpses a slightly pronounced dimple which flicks something in her memory. She waves the flash of thought away and starts eating.

The guard goes near Edward and checks his shackles. Next, he goes to Alice. His hand rises and he runs a finger across her cheek. Alice bristles, but stays still. The guard turns his back to her and wordlessly leaves them alone.

At lunch time, the same guard comes in. He brings juice, mashed potatoes and a sausage, and this time when he handles the tray, Bella accidentally touches his hand. It's cold. Vampire, of course. Bella isn't startled by coldness, not any more. Alice and Edward pay no attention to him.

Someone else comes at dinner time. This time it's the short, stocky guy, his face open, hood resting on his back.

Day seven, Felix takes Alice and Edward to hunt. While Bella is alone, the new guard comes again with crepes for breakfast and now she wonders why the hell he hides his face. Is it disfigured or something? Why doesn't he talk?

Her curiosity gets the better of her. Without a trace of forethought, she reaches for the hood, wanting to remove it. Out of nowhere, an iron grip restrains her hand and squeezes sharply.

"Tut-tut," the guard mutters and grabs the chain of her shackles near her wrists. With one sharp pull he forces her to turn around and face the wall. He slaps her butt; her whole body shakes with the momentum of the hit, and also with her surprise in equal measure.

What the hell?

Before she comes to her senses, the guard has left the cell.

Well, at least he's not mute, Bella thinks and waits for the red eyes to return.

That evening she corners Edward. It's not to scold him over his new feeding habits. It's all the same to her. But she asks him if he could hear the new guard's thoughts, and he says no.

~"~

Day eight, the new guard comes in again. To Bella's dismay, he carries no tray although it's breakfast time.

What he does carry, is a heavy, brass key.

The moment she sees what's happening, she's lying for the lack of anything else to do. Edward is sitting on the foot of her bed, staring absent-mindedly in Alice's direction. Bella gasps at her revelation and kicks Edward's thigh.

The man who's supposed to be the love of her life pays little attention to the kick, obviously preoccupied with things of his own.

The guard goes straight for Alice, and the tiny woman snarls at him like a mother-beast defending her cubs. The newcomer isn't impressed and brings the key up, waving it in front of her face. He seems to be keen on touching Alice's face because even though he's got the key in one hand, his other hand floats in the air, breezing along Alice's cheek.

This is the moment she bites.

The strangers pulls his hand abruptly and starts talking, his voice a mere whisper.

"I'm here to take you out. Don't attack me. I'm not the enemy."

The words are so soft Bella hardly hears every second one of them. But she gets the meaning. She jumps to her feet and gets closer to the guard, who's probably not a guard but an imposter.

"Here, unlock mine."

She straightens her arms for easier reach and waits while the vampire uses the key to undo the locks on her wrists, then her ankles.

While they're busy freeing her, Alice and Edward have stepped close together. They appear to make a snarling, offensive front against the stranger. He attempts to get to them but they attack. Although shackled, Bella's friends are a sight to behold; mighty enemies when annoyed, which they seem to be, power unleashed upon a single vampire who seems to have never expected this outcome.

To Bella's dismay, the stranger is stronger. He manages to take hold of Edward's chains and hurls his body towards Alice's. Of course, the shackles are his advantage; but still Bella doesn't even see what happens when he starts moving in vampire speed. At the end of it, Alice and Edward are a tangled mess in the corner of the cell.

Icy fingers touch her forearm and she looks for the stranger's face but it remains hidden under the hood.

"Who are you," she asks.

"Demon to some, angel to others," the vampire whispers. "Let's go."

"No," she says, overexcited. She desperately needs to know who this stranger is.

"Come on, Bella. We don't want to be caught."

"Okay now. You know my name. You know who I am. I'm going to ask again, who are you."

The vampire stands still and his hands raise to the level of the hood. Hesitantly, his forefingers catch at the hem of the hood an lift it up. The blond curls and the dimple on the chin are already familiar to Bella.

The rest of the face is familiar too, because it's Jasper's.


	3. Chapter 3

It's relief. The feeling that creeps inside Bella's very core, that warms her limbs and fills her eyes with something wet, it's relief. Jasper has come to save them.

She turns to Alice and Edward, expecting to see the exhilaration of the coming freedom on their faces. But there's nothing like that. They are untangling themselves from each other in their corner and getting up to their feet, snarling again. Then they attack once more.

In a whirlwind, Jasper's cape flares and hides the sight from her eyes. She's held by strong arms and lifted up, thrown over a shoulder, and the solid body under her moves. Feet are scrambling behind her, Alice is shouting a heart wrenching "No-o-o". Jasper's shoulder is flexing uncomfortably, bones harshly massaging Bella's belly; he's fighting with his free arm and probably kicking with his legs. They are surrounded by two mad vampires, the two who have abandoned the typical Cullens' peacefulness and have become bloodthirsty, merciless, raging enemies.

The last thing Bella remembers from her time in the prison cell is sharp, stabbing pain in her kidneys; they've hit her. The air escapes her lungs with a rasping whoosh and she's diving into the silver lake of unconsciousness.

~"~

She is in a forest, warm earth under her outstretched, exhausted body. Tree branches and green leaves fill the sky, tickle her sides, whisper softly with the slight wind. It's warm. Above the foliage, the sun is shining and there's not a single cloud to ruin the monotony of blue.

She tries to breathe deeper but blinding pain pierces her body.

Oh. Right. Memory rushes and hits her like a speeding lorry.

 _Someone hurt her back - In the cell - Which she's no longer in - Because, Jasper - Jasper was there - Jasper's not here now._

Suddenly, panic grabs at her heart. Why is she alone? Where is he?

She attempts to sit but it's impossible, hurts too much.

"Bella, I'm here. Don't panic."

His voice comes from the left and slightly behind. He's here, thank God.

She manages to turn her head a little and there he stands. The cape is gone to reveal his lithe body dressed in plain jeans and a black button down shirt. She watches his boots as he approaches and squats near her.

"Good. You're calming down."

Which is true. The sight of him, just the very thought that she's not alone, it's soothing.

She feels more and more relaxed, placated.

Until it dawns on her. He's using empathy to change her mood.

"Stop! Jasper, please!"

He smiles kindly and shakes his head.

"Just for a while longer," he says and tilts his head. "I can promise I won't use my gift on you after we talk."

She can't be cross with him, because she's so, so calm.

"Okay, talk." She can't convey the annoyance, and the grief, and the helplessness which are there somewhere but don't want to show.

"Bella, I need you to understand that Edward and Alice won't be with us for a while. Do you get that?"

I'm not stupid, she thinks, and says yes. Speaking more is hard, and she chooses to shut her mouth.

"They're a part of the Volturi guard now. We need time to plan how to extract them. Until then, you're stuck with me. Is that okay with you?"

She nods, no words are needed.

"I don't want to drink your blood Bella. Let's make it clear."

That raises a question in her and her eyebrow curls. Doesn't he? Why did he lunge on her then, back there in Forks?

"It was the combined thirst of everybody present, Bella. That, I couldn't resist. Empathy can't always be switched off, you know."

She doesn't _know_ but she thinks she gets it. She nods.

"In fact, I like you very much Bella. Be my friend."

After another nod, she can feel how the strain over her mind is lifted and realises that she's now free of his influence. She hurries to make sure this won't repeat.

"No more mood enhancement, Jasper. Promise me."

"I promise, Bella," Jasper says solemnly. She wants to trust him.

~"~

Jasper throws wood into their little fire. He's caught a deer, he's told her. Drained the blood from it and now he's grilling a piece of meat for her.

"We need to go when night falls. We're aiming for Switzerland, through the Alps. We'll meet the rest of the family as soon as we escape Volturi territory." Jasper talks while he rotates a stick and turns the meat around.

"Jasper, I can't walk," Bella reminds him.

"I know, yes. I'll carry you. Same way I brought you here."

"And here is where?" she remembers to ask.

"We're halfway there," is all she gets.

Ah, our conversations are pure poetry, she tells herself, sarcastically. She wonders if she will ever understand this man, the one among the Cullens who she never even tried to figure out. Always in the periphery before, he's now the center of her universe.

He's so different from Edward. While Edward was gentle, hesitant to touch her, careful when he spoke, Jasper is straightforward, even rude. She wonders if Alice gets a different treatment.

"Do you miss her?" Bella asks and she's sure Jasper knows who she's talking about.

"I do," He answers after a while. "But I know what we had is over."

"Oh. How do you know? It's … huge. Knowing that such a long relationship is ended."

"She had seen it. We knew it. Don't ask."

Bella shuts up.

~"~

When the sun hides, it's time. Jasper comes near her and gingerly helps her to her feet.

"Any need of refreshment before we go?" he asks, and Bella knows he would blush if there were blood in his cheeks.

"Actually, yes," she answers, realising that the call of nature can't be suppressed. "What … how am I gonna do it, my God."

Jasper's hand flies to her face and strokes her cheek soothingly.

"I can feel your embarrassment. Please, don't be shy. I've seen it all. I can help."

It takes Bella a whole minute to contemplate the circumstances. She can't bend, or squat, the pain in her back is awful. She can't pee if she doesn't remove her jeans and pants. She needs help. She's going to be naked in front of Jasper. She's going to expel her bodily fluids in front of Jasper.

Her cheeks are beet red, and her insides are trembling with the unease of what's coming. But it's inevitable.

"Okay," she finally speaks. "Close your eyes and undress me."

It's somewhat comforting that Jasper doesn't look. His touch is clinical, cold. His dexterous fingers unbutton her jeans and pull them down together with the underwear in the blink of an eye. In the next moment, he's holding her up in the air, supporting her thighs and making it possible for her to release her bladder without the risk of soiling her clothes. Her back is comfortably supported and she feels nearly no pain. But nothing comes out.

"Come on, Bella."

Nothing.

Then, a wave of relaxation eases its wave through her stiffness, and she hears the sound of liquid pouring over the grass. It's done.

"You did it again, Jasper!" She's mad at him. Another mind play. "You promised!"

She's buttoning her jeans herself, so furious that even the pain remains in the background. There's no trace of her embarrassment either.

Jasper smirks.

"I don't need my empathy right now to see that your mood is as healthy as a toxic gas."

Bella glares at him and clenches her fists, knowing that her anger is impotent, that she's incapacitated, and so dependent it makes her want to scream.

"Shut it," she screeches through her teeth.

Jasper's smirk turns into a full hearted smile.

"Okay, okay," he says. "Peace." He raises his hands in mock surrender. "I just wanted to make it easy for you."

She smiles, for no reason. Well, Jasper might've been wicked but he did help. Oh, dear. What a way to end a day.

And now Jasper is taking her in his arms, cradling her body like a baby's. Her arms slide around his neck. She's sleepy.

"I need to call my dad," she says, drifting asleep.

The gentle lullaby of the wind is a soothing constant in her ears, Jasper is running, tomorrow they're meeting the Cullens.

~"~

Jasper wakes her in the morning. He's still holding her in his arms, his right forearm around her neck. She understands they're not running any more. His fingers stroke her forehead and she opens her eyes.

"How are you, Bella?" he asks instead of a greeting.

"Put me down," she says, "then I'll tell."

Back on her feet, she's stiff and cold, but the pain in her back is barely there. She makes timid sweeps to the left and right and concludes that she feels much better.

"I'm fine," she tells Jasper and feels gratitude rising inside her; it's strong and uncomfortable, like a fishbone stuck in her throat. "Jasper, I'm fine. Thank you for being so gentle while you carried me."

"No worries," he says simply. "I'm fine too."

"No, I …" She's hesitant with her choice of words. It's hard for her to speak to Jasper, she still knows nearly nothing about him.

He stands close to her, looking proud and powerful. His chin is high, arms crossed behind his back, feet at shoulder width apart. A soldier to the core. He has a very, very pleasant face, Bella is surprised to notice. Why hasn't she seen it before? He's as beautiful as Edward, maybe even more, only shorter and more muscular. She hadn't paid attention, and he was always at a distance, always taken aside by Alice. Now that she thinks about it, whenever she had looked at him back there in Forks, Alice was hanging on his arm, he'd never been alone.

"I want to thank you, Jasper," she finally speaks. "For saving me. From the dungeon."

Jasper suddenly looks very sad, disappointment plainly written on his face.

"I wanted to extract all three of you, but I couldn't."

"I know, Jasper. I can imagine what it's been for you. My love remained in Volterra too."

"Only you didn't have to kill a dozen vampires before you got in, Bella."

It's good that Jasper is smirking now, although what he says is horrible.

"A what?" Bella asks incredulously.

"You wanted to call your dad?" Jasper changes the subject. "Here, take my phone and be brief. I can't charge it here in the mountains."

She shrugs and takes the mobile. She makes the call and tells her dad that she's fine, that she's in Europe and apologizes, then apologizes again and promises to be home soon.

"Did I lie to him, Jasper?" she asks after she hangs up. "Do we know when we could be back home?"

"We don't know, Bella. Let's meet the others first, and we'll see what they've come up with."

"When are we meeting them?"

"I called and explained where we are, now we wait."

~"~

Hours pass. Bella and Jasper are barely talking. Jasper has promised that she will hear his side of the story when the Cullens come.

She realizes it's become second nature to her not to argue with vampires. To respond to their moods and conditions without dispute. Even now, with Jasper, she doesn't say anything before trying to calculate how he will interpret it, how he will react. So she doesn't insist on learning anything more and patiently waits until the right time comes.

When they're not talking she has the time to observe.

Most of the time, Jasper is motionless, a marble statue. She knows there's no reason for him to pretend that he's human, here and now. He's abandoned the false pretence of breathing and fidgeting, he rarely even blinks. When he's like this, she finds the view irresistible; every now and then she tells herself to stop gawking and she looks the other way until her eyes are once again glued to the stock-still figure.

She knows that Jasper pretends not to see and not to feel her interest.

There's this one moment when she's sitting on a rock and he's standing several feet away with his back to her, sniffing the air. It is then that she notices the curve of his lower back and finds it fascinating.

After all, she's a hormonal teenager, she admits to herself. A little trace of arousal is disturbing her insides, and she can't help it. What she sees is sexual fantasy material and she can't deny it.

Then, of course, there's no point in denying it, because Jasper has unmistakably recognized her mood and turns abruptly to face her, a golden eyebrow raised.

"You find me attractive?"

She blushes and starts picking at her nails and refuses to answer.

"Well. That's great," he says, his voice void of emotion. He turns around again and continues with the sniffing. "They'll be here any minute now," he adds tonelessly.

She jumps to her feet and wills the blush to go away from her cheeks, and is almost successful.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, Carlisle and Esme are here, and, a minute later, Emmett and Rosalie, too. They've arrived running. Esme hugs Jasper briefly and then enfolds Bella in her loving arms. It's a small miracle, the way her embrace is comforting and turns out to be everything Bella's needed in order to feel normal again. It's not that Jasper's presence was disturbing, but it feels much better when he's not the sole focus of her attention.

Now she can hear the whole story and she prepares to listen.

From the moment she and Alice disappeared, Jasper has traced the tracking device in Alice's phone. He's had it planted for safety reasons many months ago, and now it's become of great use. Bella had been wondering what kind of vampire skill had helped him find them, but it turned out to be this little technical gadget and somehow this makes her a little disappointed. Anyway, what Jasper had done at Volterra is really uncanny and inhuman. He'd infiltrated the Volturi guard, using his gift, and pretended to be one of them, hiding his face and performing like a low-level patrol. He eavesdropped whenever he could and learned where the three of them had been locked. He also knew that Chelsea and Corin were used to alter the prisoners' attitude towards the Volturi.

"Wait," Bella interrupts. "I still don't know what the two ladies were doing."

"Well, Bella," Carlisle is the one to answer, "Chelsea controls the emotional ties between individuals; Corin has the power to make others feel content."

"So that's why Edward and Alice were happy with the situation. And they licked Aro's palm."

"Yes, and this will go on while ever they're under the influence of these two vampires' mind play."

"So if we extract them they will stop being loyal to the Volturi?" Bella wants to make sure.

"Yes," Jasper confirms. "Simple as that. But you saw they wouldn't leave."

"Yes. Go on then, how did you get into our cell?"

"That's where we come to the moment when I had to kill." Jasper stares into to the distance. Something similar to a sigh escapes his lips. "The last day when I came into your cell there was a meeting in the dungeons. An assembly of the guards, planning the schedule of yours, Edward and Alice's feeding. Bad luck to bump into them, I guess. There were twelve of them, low-level patrol; I killed them."

He's breviloquent but the short sentences speak enough. It's hurt him, the idea of killing other vampires. Behind the stone wall of his face, he suffers for having to take lives, even though those were evil vampires, the enemy.

"Is that why you said you'd been a demon to some and angel to others? Because you were coming to our rescue but you took lives?" Bella sees it in his eyes. She doesn't need to be a mind-reader, or an empath, or a foreseer. No special gift is needed to know that Jasper hates the thought of being a killer. "Don't call yourself a demon, Jasper. You're nothing like it."

"Oh, Bella … you don't even know. I've killed hundreds. I just hoped it would remain in my past."

Esme comes close and embraces Jasper once more. "And now, you don't even have Alice to make you feel better," his adoptive mother says. Her eyes are warm and sad, and so are Jasper's.

Bella suddenly feels the need to be the one who embraces him. Only she doesn't know how to say it to Esme, she can't just tell her to move away and let her hug him, so she stays rooted to the spot and does nothing. But the feeling remains, she feels she really wants to be the one to comfort the handsome, sad vampire, to run her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and tell him everything is going to be fine.

She knows that if she gives in to these new feelings there will be nothing, nothing left of her love for Edward. Her thoughts are messy and uncomfortable. She needs to dispose of this confusion, but she can't. What she knows now about Jasper is too much and not enough.

Her mind is a tangled knot. The sudden notion that Jasper's hand will become the solution to her turmoil, if only he stroked her hair, is disturbing. Unacceptable.

"Just a minute." Another question has flared in her mind. "Why didn't Chelsea's and Corin's powers affect me?

Jasper remains silent and Carlisle steps closer. He reaches and holds her fingers in his two cold, gentle hands.

"Bella, it seems that you have a special talent of yourself. Just like Edward couldn't read your mind, the gifts of those two ladies couldn't reach you. Your mind blocked them. I don't know how exactly this happens but it's a fact. You're blessed with immunity."

"But Jasper, he affects me."

The double meaning doesn't escape her. She looks at the rest of their little company and looks for traces of understanding, but Emmett and Rosalie are distracted by a quiet conversation, probably commenting on her talent, and Esme and Carlisle are just ready to explain further.

"His gift works on a different level," Carlisle says.

"It's not reaching your mind, it works with your very soul," Esme adds, poetically.

It seems that Jasper sees right through her, though. His look has been piercing through her since she last spoke. Just when it becomes unbearable, he speaks to her.

"Bella, would you mind if you and I went for a short walk? Just a short trip to the ridge over there and back, and then we will join the others again?"

Of course, she agrees. She does feel that they have to speak and that things between them have gone through a shift.

"I know you're thinking about Edward," Jasper says when the others are out of earshot. "And you probably should. He will still love you when his loyalty to the Volturi expires."

Bella stops her pace and looks in the vampire's eyes.

"I know. It seems though, that my love is not strong enough. I felt disgusted by him. He drank human blood."

"He'll be back on animal blood when he's with us, Bella. So will Alice, I'm sure of it." Jasper holds her hand now and speaks quietly.

"What if I never love him again? What if the repulsion stays forever?" Bella feels like she wants to pull her hair.

"You're distressed, I can feel it." Jasper is close, very close. She can smell the fabric of his shirt, it's clean without a trace of sweat. Well, of course. She, on her part, probably stinks. "And now you're embarrassed again."

"I am," she agrees. "It's just. Oh hell. I smell. And … you held me when I peed, Jasper. I need a wash and I need a decent place to sleep and … my God, why is everything so horrible? I'm filthy, Jasper, I'm filthy!"

By the end of her little tirade Bella is half-shouting. It's easy for her to figure out that she emanates something similar to the emotions of a lunatic. She's so confused. Somehow, it's no wonder to her when Jasper reaches with his two hands and holds her face, then bends and kisses her lips. It's a brief thing, just a brush of skin to skin, but it hums with electricity.

Oh shit.

"How's that for a comforting gesture?" Jasper's smirk has made a new appearance and she needs to both slap him in the face and kiss him back.

"No. Don't ever do this again. I'm … I can't." She's blushing and she's stuttering and she wants to kick herself.

"I know," Jasper responds immediately. "I just wanted to let you know there was an option. Let's go back to the others."

It's only now that it strucks her that they've seen it all.

~"~

The plan is simple. Jasper has to infiltrate the guard once again. He has to learn when Edward and Alice are going to be taken to feed next. Then all of them will abduct the two and take them away from the Volturi.

Everyone knows that It's not usual for things to work exactly like planned, but this time, it happens.

Just a day after entering Italy, the Cullens are informed by Jasper that he's taken the place of another of the Volturi low-level guards. He eavesdrops and learns that Edward and alice will be taken to be fed outside the city limits, in a nearby village. The Cullens intercept the small group of Felix, Corin, Chelsea, Edward and Alice.

Emmett is the one who kills Felix. Just a moment of power play, strong arms intertwined, a crash of heavy, mighty bodies, and Felix's head rolls on the grass. Bella sighs, unhappy but somewhat relieved.

Corin and Chelsea are an easy prey for Rosalie and Esme. A small fire is started where their bodies burn after the short fight.

Alice and Edward, in their chains, are held by Carlisle and Jasper, correspondingly. Alice is on her knees, while Edward stands, his body shadowing his captor's shorter figure.

Bella is hidden behind the nearby trees. She knows everyone can smell her, so when everything settles down she decides to go out in the open and see Edward from a closer distance.

It's not a nice view.

Alice and Edward are restlessly pulling at their chains. While it's easy for Carlisle to restrain Alice, Edward is an entirely different deal.

"Stand still, or I'll have to knock you out," Jasper hisses. "At least, behave for Bella."

She stands in front of them now. She's looking for a trace of recognition in Edward's eyes - and it's there. He calms down for a moment. Looks at her. Smiles.

Then he lunges forward and reaches for her neck in an attempt to bite.

It takes both Jasper's and Emmett's strength to hold him back and make him kneel next to Alice.

"We need them unconscious," Carlisle announces. "It's for their own good." He himself uses sharp hits to their heads to knock both Alice and Edward out.

Bella gapes. But she doesn't have the time to ponder upon what she sees. They are rushing to add Felix's body to the fire. Emmett lifts the unconscious Edward and tosses him over his shoulder; Rosalie takes Alice's limp figure in her arms, and they run.

"We need to get to the nearest airport in the fastest possible way," Jasper explains. "Bella, allow me to carry you again."

Bella doesn't object. She knows she will feel safe in those arms.

~"~

It's a good thing that the day is cloudy and no one sparkles, Bella thinks and sniggers quietly.

Obviously, Jasper can be very persuasive. The airport authorities lend them a private jet which departs in less than half an hour's time. They land at one more point in Europe to refuel, and then they're flying over the ocean, straight to Forks.

It's a fourteen-hour flight, during which Edward and Alice come to.

They are chained to their seats' armrests and still wearing the shackles. Carlisle is seated across from them and massages his temples with his index fingers. He stops any movement when he sees the first signs of Edward and Alice regaining consciousness.

This time, there's no snarling, no one attacks. Obviously, Chelsea and Corin's influence has expired.

Bella is sitting next to Jasper, on the seat behind Carlisle. She wonders if the last few days will be wiped away from Edward and Alice's memory. But when she examines their expressions carefully, she sees they seem to remember, and they look guilty.

Edward's beautiful eyes find hers. Their looks remain locked for a long while and Bella feels like crying. There's nothing left of the love and affection. His irises are red and cold, his look inquisitive and calculating. There's guilt there, indeed, but there's also brazenness; he's not about to try to justify what he's done.

Jasper rises to his feet and goes to Alice. He strokes her face and kneels before her seat.

Carlisle stands with a nervous shrug, leaving them some sort of privacy. But Bella stays in her seat, not able to perform any reasonable action. Paralysed.

"Alice, is it over?" Jasper asks directly.

Alice's little face contorts into a mask of sorrow. She purses her lips and her wide eyes become even wider.

"Jasper," she says, "you know I've loved you with all my heart."

He nods, observing wordlessly as Edward's hand slowly cups Alice's knee and squeezes.

When Edward speaks, his voice is low. "Alice and I have a special connection now." A metal vibe resonates in every syllable of his sentence.

Everyone comes near and they have a long talk. And it's clear now, Chelsea's powers' impact is not entirely reversed; and her influence has reached far beyond the temporary loyalty to the Volturi. What Edward felt for Bella and Alice felt for Jasper, is lost. Wiped away. It had been replaced with the desire to serve the Guard. And with the expiration of the last traces of entanglement with the Volturi, the remaining chain of the loyalty has linked Alice and Edward between themselves, excluding everybody else, making it impossible for the two of them to love anybody outside their world of two.

Bella feels defeated. The whole fiasco of her Volterra fail is now weighing on her shoulders. She's the reason why Jasper lost his Alice. She might have saved Edward on her own. Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not.

Oh, she's such a failure. Tears blur her vision. The plane shakes with a little turbulence, her stomach flips; she slumps in her seat.

She's a failure.

"There won't be a third time, Bella." Jasper's voice startles her. "No more mind play. But you need to stop berating yourself."

She snivels and curls into herself. He's hurt, because of her, but now comes to soothe her? She doesn't deserve it.

A hand is buried in her hair and massages her scalp gently.

"Come on. Look at me."

She hesitates for a moment but then lifts her head and looks.

Jasper's face comes closer and closer, until her lips are sealed by his lips, ice-cold but soft.

Her body trembles. This kiss is not innocent and not chaste. It lingers for quite long and it says, be mine, I'm yours already.

When he breaks the kiss, Jasper's hand is still in her hair, caressing gently.

"How's that for a comforting gesture," he says with his trademark smirk, which quirks the corner of his perfect lips up and to the right. The words are familiar, and they make Bella smile.

"Oh, God," she says. "You're marvellous, Jasper."

And no, she's not ready for this new relationship. She's not going to become his lover there and then.

But someday …

She knows he's good for her. Jasper. The names rolls around her tongue like a honey melon piece, and she knows she'll bite into it, she'll taste its sweetness. That bite will make her forget any hunger, or thirst, or thace of disappointment and betrayal, and guilt.

"Yes, in fact. It's a great comforting gesture." She smiles and reaches for his golden hair, stroking gently. "My demon and angel. You are _some_ piece of comfort."

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for reading. Let me know your thoughts!


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